¡Átame! (1990)

Leave it to Pedro Almodóvar to direct a film that would lead to a change in the American movie rating system.

In his 1990 film Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (the name is again improved in translation from the plain Spanish “Tie me!”), things got so hot that the MPAA wanted to give the film a “X” rating. As the film is far from pornography, the studio handling the distribution rights in the US fought for an “R” rating. A few months later, the “NC-17” rating was born.

And just what is this controversial flick? Antonio Banderas plays Ricky, a man recently out of the mental hospital. Armed with 50,000 pesetas and his youth, he decides to kidnap porn-turned-serious-actress-by-starring-in-a-horror-film Marina (Victoria Abril) to make her fall in love with him so he can be a good father to their future kids. Ricky turns out to be the most charming kidnapper ever, as he wins over both Marina and the audience during the course of the film, doing his best to show his love for Marina and taking care of her every need, tying her to the bed every time he leaves to fetch her pain medication or run an errand, hoping to find softer ropes and tape for her. Loles León has a supporting role as Marina’s sister, Lola, and Francisco Rabal steals every scene he’s in as director Maximo Espejo (Maximum Mirror for non-Spanish speakers).

The scene that caused so much controversy doesn’t even relate to the provocative title. Marina uses a toy scuba diver to pleasure herself in the bathtub, and she has no problem with being naked.

The film is a complete departure from Mujeres al borde de ataque de nervios. The very long break between Almodóvar and actress/muse Carmen Maura begins with this film, but her absence is barely noticed. The film is a warped romance about Stockholm Syndrome, or falling in love with your kidnapper. Almodóvar makes his audiences wonder and debate their own morals as they start to root for Ricky (thanks to Antonio Banderas in his probable best role). Why are we wanting the woman to fall for the kidnapper? What kind of people are we?

The film is not quite a romance, not quite a thriller, not quite a woman’s melodrama, and far from a farce. It blends elements from all types of Almodóvar’s films to create a unique, shocking (for 1990 Spain and US at least) film. It’s the first of Almodóvar’s three transitional films that will take us from Mujeres to 1995’s La flor de mi secreto.